Bicycles for 70 girls on International Women’s Day

As part of International Women’s Day, WaterHarvest and our partner GRAVIS are providing girls in the remote Thar desert with bicycles so they can attend senior school, just like their brothers.

When faced with limited resources, families are often forced to choose which children will go to school and they typically choose the boys. This leaves girls, who don’t live within walking distance of a senior school, stuck at home and unable to complete their education, due to the simple problem of not being able to get to school.

Climate change threatens serious implications for our natural resources, our infrastructure as well as our food and water security. India is recognised as one of the most vulnerable countries to climatic variability, with much of the nation’s lowest socio-economic communities directly dependent on primary natural resources for their livelihoods, including rainfall for water consumption and crop production. For these marginalised communities, the impact of climate change cannot be understated. The World Bank projects that the pressures on India’s water, air, soil and forests are likely to be the most globally intense by 2020.

For the rural communities of the Kutch district of Gujarat, access to sustainable water supplies has been a distressing issue for decades. Considered one of the aridest zones throughout India, water security has become a deepening crisis and devastating consequences are continuing to occur. In 2017, we began a partnership with Samerth Trust, to collaboratively tackle these water security issues. In seek of improving the conditions for those within this perennial water scarce area, we are constructing 73 roof rainwater harvesting systems in Dholavira village, helping families capture the precious monsoon rains and store in individual tanks for year-round drinking water.

Grant awarding bodies, when they provide WaterHarvest with funding, always ask us to submit evidence that our projects are achieving their objectives. Reporting that we have constructed 100 taankas in a village or have established 10 self-help groups, our outputs, are easy to report on. Much more challenging is to provide evidence of longer-term change; the impacts. These are not usually visible for a few years after a project has ended.

In April earlier this year, we launched the Revive and Thrive appeal to help the farmers of 10 villages within the Tonk District of Rajasthan to regain control of their suffering livelihoods. Following persistent droughts and the degradation of pasture land, many poor farmers have been deprived of good grazing, leaving them in a battle with impoverishment. Unable to feed their herds, these farmers have not only been stripped of their income, yet their way of life. The Revive and Thrive appeal has been designed to overcome the collapse of nomadic farming in these communities, enabling a greater future for these farmers and their families.

In October 2014, we formed a partnership with Tarun Bharat Sangh (TBS) to tackle water security issues for the marginalised communities of Rajasthan. Working alongside this reputable NGO, we have improved Water Use Efficiency across five villages (Raipura, Bhaal, Gopalpura, Govindpura and Jaitpura) and have since begun a new project focusing on 30 additional villages in the Rivulet Arvari, Sarsa and Bhagani basin. Our most recent collaborative project with TBS focuses on raising awareness amongst local farmers and youth regarding Water Use Efficiency, whilst also installing Sprinkler and Drip Irrigation Systems to improve agriculture production.

The availability and accessibility of potable water in the Jaipur District has been a distressing issue for its people in recent years. Following chronic and persistent droughts, water vulnerability has dictated the lives of these marginalised communities, crippling educations and livelihoods alike. Within the Jaipur District, the Dudu block in particular suffers; the area has seen 24 severe droughts since the independence of India in 1947, an illustration of the extreme water scarce conditions. Situated near the Sambhar Salt Lake, the ground water in the Dudu block is also pervaded with high salinity and fluoride. Although incredibly dangerous for both humans and cattle to consume,

Today 22nd April, marks Earth Day, a global event supported by over 1 billion people to promote the conservation and protection of the environment. For many within the developed world, this occasion is used as a day of political action and civic participation, addressing environmental concerns to foster a clean, sustainable environment and protect our planet for future generations. This year at WaterHarvest however, we would like to use Earth Day to announce our new appeal, Revive and Thrive, which focuses on the replenishment of land and the surrounding environment in rural India.

Housing one-sixth of the global population, India is the second most populous country in the world, with nearly 60% of its population living in urban areas. With urban population rising rapidly, the concern surrounding hygiene and sanitation is advancing, as the development of this poverty-stricken nation is restricted by this distressing issue.

Across India, half of the population, or at least 620 million people still defecate outdoors, a figure which only emphasises the need for greater support. Open defecation brings tremendous risk to a country, as the perilous issue is a major hazard to both human health and the surrounding environment.